Snuff Container
Northern Nguni
1850–1899
- Medium
- Cattle horn, copper, brass, and iron
- Dimensions
- 10.2 × 40.1 × 7.7 cm (4 × 15 3/4 × 3 in.)
- Genre
- snuff bottle
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
ancestorsiron (metal)snuff bottlebrass (alloy)tobaccoanimalscoppernguniEastern and Southern Africaafrican Artarts of Africacarvingprestigedecorative artsmetalworkinghorncattlecattle hornpendant (jewelry)
About
This snuff container made of cattle horn was worn by a high-ranking man as a pendant. Its material, shape, and use connect it to the spirit world. Cattle have been a primary source of wealth throughout southern Africa, playing a critical role in communications between the living and the dead. Tobacco was part of wedding gifts and also offered to the ancestors.
